Tag: suspense

Midsummer Dreams

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens2 Comments

Inspiration comes, and in that moment, a story starts.

And so it was, on a long ago summer’s day, a dream came true for me. Throughout my life, I had longed to return to my birthplace. Seattle always beckoned, but it seemed too far away. And then my brother-in-law moved there. A few years later, my youngest son moved there as well. My bucket-list item became a reality.

My son asked if there was anything I really wanted to see while I was in the Seattle area. There was a place I’d heard about, and longed to go–Orcas Island, in the Puget Sound. So, we drove to Anacortes and took a ferry to the San Juan Islands.

We found a small cabin in Leiber Haven, arrived late and sat out on the shore beneath a canopy of stars. I’d never seen so many! The guys planned to get up early and go fishing.

We awoke to the most amazing sight! A sunrise that surrounded us with vivid color. This photo doesn’t do it justice. The glow was sensational.

As the sun rose, I was completely enthralled. And in those quiet moments, inspiration came. A story started that would continue to grow and change over the next few years. About a girl like me in some ways, who had been uprooted over and over, crisscrossing the country and moving every few months. Never in any place for very long. Always the new kid. Never really having a place to call home.

The scene in the above photo would become Still Water Cove in the story. The first book, titled “Still Water” would lay the groundwork for a young woman named Lisa Oliver. After her parents die in a tragic car accident, she is caught up in a dangerous mystery. Her parents weren’t who she believed they were. Who were they, and why were they always running?

The story continues in “Open Water” (book two), and finishes in “Dark Water” – releasing this fall.

Still Water
Open Water
Dark Water

New Suspense From Marji Laine

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens

A Wolf’s Demise

A Wolf’s Demise is set in my hometown of Dallas, Texas around the time that my grandfather served as one of the fire captains in the area.

I had so much fun researching for this book! I confess, the Halling Estate is from my imagination, but it is inspired by the DeGolyer House located on the edge of White Rock Lake. Now, it is the centerpiece of the Dallas Arboretum, but in 1949, the family still lived there.

While Old Miss’s business is fiction, the building is real. It used to be called the Busch building but was purchased in 1941 and renamed the Kirby Building after John H. Kirby who was a lumber manufacturer and dabbled in oil. It’s still known as the Kirby building today, but now it is full of urban lofts and high-dollar apartments. It was built in 1913, just after the Adolphus Hotel opened and by the same Adolphus Busch. There are conflicting stories about the building. Some state that it was the first of many Busch business buildings, as Adolphus planned to move his booming beer business to Dallas. Others claim it was just a southwest hub. Either way, there are some secrets about that building that are still real today, but you have to read the book to find out about them! 😊

At the time of this story, my mom was thirteen years old. She and her cousins, who were all the same age, would hop on the McKinney Avenue streetcar and ride from Oak Cliff to Fair Park. It is more of a fairground now with museums, a permanent midway, and a huge music hall, but when my mom was a girl, it was just a park with a swimming pool, lots of trees, and grassy areas for picnicking. It even had a roller-skating rink. Mother and my great aunts would go out early in the morning and spend the whole day there, coming back just after sunset.

It’s so odd to think of Dallas, or any big city, as being so safe. Twenty years later, in the same town, my mom never considered letting me or my brother do anything like that. She barely let my brother have a paper route. And the only way she would let us out after dark was if she was sitting in the front yard with us.

Strange how quickly things can change. Good thing we have folks who tell their stories for us!

Here’s a little about the book:

“You’ve met the wolf, huh?”

Dallas, Texas, 1949

Ruby Stedman expects her first few days in the secretarial pool of a large business to be challenging, especially with her lack of training. But she’s determined to prove to the boss who doesn’t want her there that she can learn quickly and excel in whatever task she’s given. Even if it means working for some of the less than gentlemanly executives on the upper floors.

But dealing with her difficult boss becomes the least of her troubles. She doesn’t expect to be literally chased around an office. Nor does she realize she’s being set up for a rendezvous on the top floor of the building – an empty, after-hours building.

When she finds the leader of the wolf pack lying in a pool of blood, not only is she implicated in the man’s murder, she suddenly becomes a target herself. Even her favorite Dallas detective, Chris Wilson, can’t seem to keep her safe.

Can they figure out all that is going on before a killer strikes again? Get your copy of A WOLF’S DEMISE.

Buy the Book @ Amazon

Just Kidding Around

On By Betty OwensIn novella, The Visitor Mysteries

The Visitor Series continues with a heartwarming suspense story that … well, here’s my recent review:

The moment I opened this book, I knew I was in trouble. It reminded me of a favorite short story by O. Henry–The Ransom of Red Chief, with a little “Home Alone” tossed in for good measure. I raised three sons, so maybe that’s the reason I enjoyed the story so much. Dena Netherton has a way with gripping suspense and quirky, mean characters. As a reader, you don’t like them (the bad guys). Don’t like their looks or what they’re doing, but can’t stop reading until justice is served. Netherton tied this one up in an oh, so satisfying way.

Yep. Loved it. Deliciously hateful bad guys dealt with in a satisfying manner. Altogether pleasant summertime read.

–Betty

How do baby goats, ugly graffiti, and a would-be hero add up to a kidnapping? Connie B. Wright intends to find out.

Skye Wright has been running Our Kids for several years and is delighted that her Aund Connie comes to attend the fundraiser that Skye and her volunteers have planned. This will create crucial funding to carry the children’s home for another year, not to mention some much-needed repairs.

The repair list grows when an unknown vandal paints mean comments along one wall. But the minor annoyance turns to deep concern as vandalism becomes accompanied by actual threats.

Why would someone target a children’s shelter?

Match wits with The Visitor as she works to uncover the person behind a series of dangerous crimes.

Buy the Book on Amazon

The Visitor Mysteries Continue

On By Betty OwensIn Betty Thomason Owens

What’s up next for The Visitor, Connie B. Wright? She runs into a bit of challenge with her sister Kimberly, lakeside in Michigan. In a “snap” – she’s off again, to help her favorite brother’s daughter, Teagan out of a tough situation. Connie doesn’t look for trouble, it just kind of…follows her.

The Visitor – Contemporary Mystery & Light Suspense

What do an unmanned boat,
a gardener’s secrets,
and ghostly crying have to do with murder?

Kimberly McConil loves the old house she just bought, even if her twins seem to think she has no idea what she’s doing with the renovations. She doesn’t need her baby sister’s help either, but Connie is only there to organize a fundraiser for the Wright Foundation. At least, that’s what she says.

Still, Kimberly is rather pleased to have her sister with her when the sounds of the house move from common to creepy. And then there is the man who tries to break in . . .

Match wits with The Visitor as she unravels this knot of lies and the drama that it causes.

Buy at Amazon.com

A quick review of The Visitor Sees a Ghost:

A quirky, old house…odd, unexplained noises…
The locals say it’s haunted.
Kimberly McConil bought it via the internet and intends to make it her forever home. With the help of her little sister–head of the family business, mystery and mayhem magnet–Connie Wright, she pursues the truth about the old house by the lake.
This one will keep you guessing and might produce a chuckle or two along the way.

How do a Yellow Mustang,
a missing dog,
and a game of Clue set up a murder?

Connie B. Wright must unravel this mystery.

Teagan Wright is determined to impress Aunt Connie. Her fondest hope is to work with her for the Wright Foundation, and organizing a small part of this elaborate fundraiser is a great opportunity to show off what she can do.

But when her best friend is the victim of a hit and run, and her least favorite person winds up missing, Teagan becomes more focused on proving that she herself isn’t the one to blame.

Then there’s the body that she finds . . .

Match wits with The Visitor as she weaves through a treacherous route to uncover a game master.

Buy at Amazon.com

In my humble opinion:

The Visitor Plays a Game is a fun read and one you won’t want to put down until you find out whodunnit! Like a certain mystery solving board game, this story provides clues along the way. Teagan and her Aunt Connie B. Wright have to work hard to try to solve the mystery and prove a friend’s innocence before it’s too late. I couldn’t put it down until I’d read the oh, so satisfying ending. If you love a mystery, this is a must-read.